Search

Osteosarcoma is considered the most common bone tumor affecting children and young adults. The standard of care is chemotherapy; however, the onset of drug resistance still jeopardizes osteosarcoma patients, thus making it necessary to conduct a thorough investigation of the possible mechanisms behind this phenomenon. In the last decades, metabolic rewiring of cancer cells has been proposed as a cause of chemotherapy resistance. Our aim was to compare the mitochondrial phenotype of sensitive osteosarcoma cells (HOS and MG-63) versus their clones when continuously exposed to doxorubicin (resistant cells) and identify alterations exploitable for pharmacological approaches to overcome chemotherapy resistance. Compared with sensitive cells, doxorubicin-resistant clones showed sustained viability with less oxygen-dependent metabolisms, and significantly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial mass, and ROS production. In addition, we found reduced expression of TFAM gene generally associated with mitochondrial biogenesis. Finally, combined treatment of resistant osteosarcoma cells with doxorubicin and quercetin, a known inducer of mitochondrial biogenesis, re-sensitizes the doxorubicin effect in resistant cells. Despite further investigations being needed, these results pave the way for the use of mitochondrial inducers as a promising strategy to re-sensitize doxorubicin cytotoxicity in patients who do not respond to therapy or reduce doxorubicin side effects.

CAM is used by about 40% of cancer patients in Western Countries, with peaks of 80% for breast cancer patients. Cancer patients use CAM to boost immune function, to control cancer symptoms and treatment-related side effects, and to improve health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and survival. Unfortunately, self-prescription of natural remedies in cancer patients can lead to unexpected toxicities and can reduce the effectiveness of cancer therapy. Although CAM usually refers to all the “natural or organic” products/methods that are generally considered less toxic, there are concerns about drug interactions, especially in patients participating in clinical trials with experimental agents. Despite the claims of the promising and potential benefits made by prescribers, many CAMs lack clear scientific evidence of their safety and efficacy. Given the widespread use of CAM—both clearly declared and overt—in this review, we focused on the most important known data on the risk of interactions between biologics and oncology drugs with the goal of opening up CAM in accordance with the meaning of integrative medicine.

Abstract: Platinum agents, which include cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin, are chemotherapeutic drugs that represent the first-line treatment for different types of solid tumors, such as ovarian, head and neck, testicular, and bladder cancers. Their beneficial effect is limited by the onset of drug resistance and severe toxicities, involving mainly ototoxicity, neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Recent studies highlight the supplementation of herbal products, vitamins and minerals with antioxidant properties to prevent and protect from side effects. In particular, the introduction of nutraceuticals associated with chemotherapy has improved the patients’ quality of life. However, if from one side, complementary and alternative medicine ameliorates chemotherapeutics-induced toxicities, from the other side, it is important to take into consideration the possible interference with drug metabolism. This review aims to consider the current literature focusing on clinical trials that report an association between nutraceutical supplementation and platinum- based chemotherapy to prevent toxicities, highlighting both beneficial and side effects.